This invention relates to a heavy-duty winch mechanism for hoisting heavy loads, such as a boat or trailer, onto a platform.
Winch mechanisms are commonly used to hoist heavy loads. The winch is generally constructed such that the handle is connected through a pinion gear to a drum gear that is affixed to a drum. The pinion gear increases the torque capacity that an operator can handle.
A reversible ratchet mechanism is selectively operable to restrict reel rotational movement in one direction while enabling rotation of the reel in the opposite direction. The pawl and ratchet arrangement can be selectively operable into a forward-engaged mode, a reverse-engaged mode, and a free-spooling mode.
The pawl includes two gear-engaging teeth that alternately engage a pinion, permitting the gear to be rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise depending upon pawl engagement against the pinion. When one pawl tooth engages against the pinion, the winch mechanism may be operated only in the forward direction. Upon engagement of the other pawl tooth against the pinion, the winch mechanism is operable only in the reverse direction. When the pawl is pivoted into the free-spooling mode, the drum gear is operated freely in either the forward or reverse direction. The gears become reengaged by axially sliding the pinion gear back into position.
While conventional systems provide various modes of operation, such mechanisms are generally unstable and are subject to unwanted shifting of gear modes, often causing personal injury and property damage.
What is needed is a winch mechanism that has enhanced bracketry, that is capable of sustaining heavy loads, that may be readily and easily reversed by one operator, and that is capable of operating in forward-engaged, reverse-engaged, and free-spooling modes.
What is needed is a winch mechanism that minimizes the risk of personal injury and the likelihood of damaging the objects being hoisted, that enables easy pivotal rotation of the reel, that is less likely to be inadvertently switched out of engagement, and that is simple, compact, and durable.
All of the above needs are addressed by the winch mechanism of the present invent. The winch mechanism of the present invention comprises a powdered-metal pawl that is secured to the ratchet lever with an extension spring and biased into position relative to the frame. A wave washer pushing laterally against the ratchet lever holds the ratchet lever in its selected mode.
The ratchet pawl, which determines the direction of ratcheting of the input gear, is connected to a ratchet arm by an extension spring. The ratchet arm is movable through three modes by a dxc3xa9tente engagement between a ratchet plug and the winch frame. The ratchet plug engages one of three apertures in the frame, one aperture for each position of the winch mechanism.
The ratchet lever has three modes: one mode for each ratcheting direction and one for a non-ratcheting option. The ratchet arm is moved into position manually and aligns a ratchet plug with an aperture in the winch frame to determine gear engagement.
For a more complete understanding of the winch mechanism of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example. As the invention may be embodied in many forms without departing from spirit of essential characteristics thereof, it is expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.